Millennials and Gardening

I read an article the other day published in the Green Industry Pros e-magazine which stated “driven by social media trends and environmental consciousness, Millennials are shaping landscape design and lawn maintenance services.” That statement, of course, piqued my interest since most people I know who are environmentally conscious are middle-aged or older (Boomers).

The article explained Millennials enjoy entertaining outside so they want a fun, yet peaceful place to do so. They also are more keenly aware of the effects of climate change and the importance of pollinators to their wellbeing. They want to grow “plants with a purpose.” So, they are interested in growing fruit trees and their own vegetables and herbs, and in planting pollinator-friendly gardens. They are also willing to pay more for organic lawn and garden products, and to have maintenance of their outdoor spaces done by others rather than do it themselves.

Gardening Information

As I read through the article, I realized much of what they were saying was based on the 2018 National Gardening Surveysponsored by Garden Research. Although I have not read the survey results, I understand it covered a variety of different aspects of gardening. As I gleaned information from the articles I was able to find on-line regarding this survey, however, one other special piece of information to me was on how consumers get their information.

Interestingly, in the past females over 55 years of age were the biggest consumers of gardening information and via printed matter. Today, it’s the younger generation under 35 and male, and they’re getting their information on-line from websites and through social media and smart phone apps. This means natural landscaping and native plant gardening organizations such as Wild Ones will need to provide more educational offerings on-line and through apps if they are to successfully accomplish their missions.